


a question of cheating.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: captured moments. [25]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, One Shot Collection, Short One Shot, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: Ben ordered his usual coffee and water and Rey asked for a soda, and when Rose walked away, Ben looked at her in curiosity.  “You never drink soda.”“I just feel like one right now,” Rey explained.  “Something sugary and sweet.”“Then we’ll have to order dessert.”“I don’t know if we can pay for that,” Rey pointed out.“If you two think you’re paying for dinner, you are sorely mistaken.”  They looked up to see Poe pulling out a chair, sitting down next to Ben.  “Everything is on the house until I say otherwise.”or:  Ben and Rey are back in the café for the first time since Rey's assault.  Conversations with Poe and Zorii lead to Rey confirming something to Ben yet again, and then Ben has a realization.(this will make little sense if you haven't read the rest of the captured moments series.)
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: captured moments. [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1602691
Comments: 8
Kudos: 40





	a question of cheating.

**Author's Note:**

> #25. how in the hell did this series get this long? I have no idea.
> 
> I don't know about this one, but I've worked on it for hours and I can't get it to sound any better than this, so I'm just going with it. 
> 
> And as always, if you like what you read, please let me know via a comment or kudos or bookmark so that I know I'm not writing into a void. Enjoy!

The first thing Ben noticed when they walked into the café was that Zorii was waiting tables, and he stopped in the lobby and blinked. “Zorii?”

She looked over at him and Rey and smiled. “Ben, Rey. How wonderful.”

“Hi, Zorii,” Rey said, taking Ben’s hand with her free one. “Let’s go sit down, honey.”

Ben nodded and walked with Rey to his table in the back, shaking his head when he saw that it was reserved. “Does Poe just have this permanently reserved for me?”

“Yes,” Rey said, smiling when Ben pulled her chair for her. “Thank you, honey.”

“Of course, darling,” Ben said, helping Rey sit down. “Do you want anything to drink? I’m sure Poe wouldn’t mind if I went and got it for you.”

“Let me do that,” came Rose’s voice, and Rey smiled at her as she approached the table. 

“Hi, Rose. It’s good to see you.”

“Nowhere near as much as it’s good to see you,” Rose said as Ben sat down. “How are you feeling?”

“A little better,” Rey said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to come back to work soon.”

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Rose said. “What do you want to drink?”

Ben ordered his usual coffee and water and Rey asked for a soda, and when Rose walked away, Ben looked at her in curiosity. “You never drink soda.”

“I just feel like one right now,” Rey explained. “Something sugary and sweet.”

“Then we’ll have to order dessert.”

“I don’t know if we can pay for that,” Rey pointed out.

“If you two think you’re paying for dinner, you are sorely mistaken.” They looked up to see Poe pulling out a chair, sitting down next to Ben. “Everything is on the house until I say otherwise.”

“Poe, that’s not necessary,” Ben started, but Poe shook his head. 

“This is not up for discussion, Ben. Neither of you is paying for a damn thing in here until I say otherwise.”

“Thank you, Poe,” Rey said before Ben could respond. “In that case, we’re definitely ordering dessert.”

“Order the entire menu if you want,” Poe said, smiling at her. “How are you feeling?”

“A little better,” Rey said. “I should be able to come back to work soon, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait tables for a while.”

“Don’t worry about work,” Poe said seriously. “I’ve got things covered.”

“I have to worry about work, Poe. Ben and I have no other income at the moment.”

“If you think I’m not going to take care of you two, then you’re wrong,” Poe said firmly. “I might not be able to get you tips, but I can still pay you, and you better believe that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“Thank you,” Rey said softly. “That means a lot.”

“I can’t believe you have Zorii waiting tables,” Ben said, looking at where she was at a table. “I said you should give her a job doing the financial stuff, not this.”

“I did give her a job running the financial side of the business,” Poe confirmed. “She offered to wait tables until Rey is able to work again.”

“That was really nice of her,” Rey said as Rose came back to the table with their drinks. “I’ll have to thank her for that before we leave.”

“Hey, Poe? Finn’s got an issue with some of the burners on the stove,” Rose said as she set their drinks down.

“Fuck,” Poe said, standing up quickly. “I’ll be back to talk to you two later.”

“Do you two need menus or do you have it memorized by now?” Rose asked. 

“I have it memorized. Ben?” Rey said, and Ben shook his head. 

“I’ll take the same as always.”

“And I will just have what I normally eat for dinner,” Rey said. “Finn knows what that is.”

“Got it,” Rose said, stuffing her order book in her apron. “We miss you two around here. You’ll have to come back more often.”

“I don’t know if Rey will feel up to that,” Ben started, but Rey smiled.

“I think we will be coming in a lot. I’m sick of just sitting in the apartment.”

“Great,” Rose said, grinning. “I’ll be back with your food soon.”

Rose walked away and Ben turned his attention to Rey. “You’re sick of sitting in the apartment?”

“I’m used to doing things, Ben. Right now I can’t do anything. It’s kind of boring.”

Ben let out a small chuckle. “Staying in the apartment and reading all the time is my dream.”

Rey reached across the table and squeezed Ben’s hand. “I understand, honey. But we’re working on that.”

“Yeah,” Ben said softly. “We are.”

Rey gave him a brilliant smile. “You have no idea what it means to me that you’re willing to push past all of this for me. It means everything.”

“You’re worth it,” Ben breathed out. “You’re so worth it.”

Rey squeezed his hand again. “I love you, honey.”

“I love you too,” Ben said, smiling at her. 

“I didn’t know when we’d see you two in here again,” came Zorii’s voice, “but I’m glad that you’re in here because I need to talk to you, Ben. Mind if I join you?”

“Of course,” Rey said, smiling as Zorii sat down. “Thank you for waiting the tables until I can come back.”

“No need to thank me,” Zorii said. “I’m more than happy to help both you and Poe out.”

“Something tells me that you’re here to talk about Poe,” Ben said, and Zorii let out a small laugh.

“He’s an idiot. But I’m also an idiot for him.”

“Which means?”

“Which means we got drunk the other night, and well, you know.”

“Fucking hell, Zorii,” Ben exclaimed. “That is the exact opposite of how you told me that you wanted things to go.”

“I know, I know, but fuck, it’d been so long, and he felt so good, and it just happened.” Zorii sighed heavily. “Anyway, he can barely say two words to me that aren’t about work, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Get him alone and make him talk to you,” Rey said. “The only way you two are ever going to figure things out is if you talk about things.”

“I know that, but you have no idea how difficult it is to get Poe to do that,” Zorii said. “And us not talking is what turned him into a fucking bastard in the first place.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rey said, confused.

“Rey has no idea what happened to break you two up,” Ben pointed out. 

Zorii sighed. “Jessika Pava. Jessika Pava happened.”

Rey sat there for a moment before her eyes widened. “For how long?” she eventually asked.

“Months,” Zorii murmured. “That’s all I know.”

“And you’re able to forgive him for that?” Rey asked, surprised.

“As I said, I’m an idiot for him,” Zorii said, shaking her head. “I needed some time to think about things so I left town. Now it’s ten years later and I’m still not over him so I came back to figure this out. Except us fucking the other night has fucked everything up and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Talk to him,” Ben said. “Not us.”

“I told you, I can’t get him to talk to me.”

“Then I’ll get him to talk to you,” Ben said seriously. “But you need to be talking to each other and not us.”

Zorii sighed when she heard her name be called out. “Thanks for telling him that I should run the financial side of things for him. You have no idea how much he had that fucked up.”

“I can only imagine,” Ben said as she walked away. “Well, that’s fucking great.”

“I never would have pictured Poe as being someone who would do that to his girlfriend,” Rey said after a moment. “He seemed like a much better person than that.”

“He is a much better person than that,” Ben said. “He just needed to grow up and he was refusing to do so. He and Zorii needed to have a serious talk about where their relationship was headed and what they were going to do once graduation came, and instead of having that talk, he thought the thing to do was to escape with someone else for a while. He was a complete asshole, I’ll agree with that, but he has recognized his mistakes and I know that he’ll never do that to someone again.”

Rey sat there for a moment before tilting her head to the side. “Is that one of the reasons why you think that sex is always the beginning of the end?” she asked. “Because you know that it ended up that way for Poe and Zorii?”

“Poe and Zorii were having sex long before Jessika entered the equation,” Ben said, “but knowing that someone who loved Zorii as much as Poe does could still do that has never helped my faith that someone wouldn’t do that to me. I maintain my belief that sex has been the start of the end of every relationship I’ve ever had, and I will completely understand when it brings about the end of ours because I’m terrible at it.”

“You are not terrible at it,” Rey interrupted. “I really need you to stop thinking that.”

Ben took four deep breaths. “I am working on believing that.”

“I know you are, honey, and I’m so happy that you’re making progress. But I really am telling you the truth.”

Ben took another six deep breaths. “Anyway, knowing that Poe did that doesn’t help my situation ever.”

“Knowing that I did what?” Poe asked, sitting down again.

“The entire Jessika situation,” Ben replied, and Poe sighed heavily.

“Zorii?”

“Of course,” Ben said. “Now give me your side of the story.”

“What’s there to say? I knew we shouldn’t get drunk and now I have to deal with the fact that she wants nothing to do with me.”

“She definitely wants something to do with you,” Rey said. “And you need to talk to her.”

“Talking to Zorii is not something I’m necessarily good at,” Poe sighed. “But I know you’re right. It’s just...I just got her back in my life. I don’t want to lose that.”

“You won’t,” Ben said. “Trust me.”

Poe let out a small laugh. “I never thought the day would come when I would be getting relationship advice from Ben ‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life alone’ Solo.”

“What can I say?” Ben said, smiling. “Sometimes you just meet the right person. You met Zorii in high school. I met Rey now. It’s just the way it works.”

“High school? You were high school sweethearts?” Rey asked.

“No,” Poe said, shaking his head. “We didn’t start dating until our freshman year of college. But I’ve known her forever and it has always been her, and I’m a motherfucking douchebag who ruined the one good thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“You haven’t ruined it completely,” Ben said. “And you need to talk to Zorii.”

Poe sighed heavily. “I’ll talk to her after close and everyone else is gone.”

“No alcohol,” Ben said, and Poe nodded.

“No alcohol. Just a talk.”

“Good,” Ben said, smiling. “I will sick my mother on you if necessary.”

“Leia wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No,” Poe said, turning his attention to Rey. “So, I feel like you’d be able to work the cash register until you can work again. Does that sound okay? And don’t feel like you have to come back tomorrow or be here as much as you were before while you’re still healing.”

Rey nodded. “You’ll have to teach me how to close out someone’s table because right now all I know is how to put an order in.”

“It’s really simple. I can show you tonight before you leave if you want.”

“That would be great, Poe,” Rey said, smiling at him. “I’m glad there is going to be some way for me to be here. I miss you guys.”

“We miss you two too,” Poe said, standing up. “I’ll come talk to you about it some more after you’re done eating.”

Rey nodded as Rose approached the table, setting two plates in front of them. “Finn cut your sandwich into a lot more pieces than normal because he wasn’t sure how you were going to be able to eat it. So if you feel like you’re four, I’m sorry.”

Rey laughed. “It’s alright, Rose.”

“Good,” Rose said, smiling. “Anything else I can get you?”

Ben and Rey both shook their heads. “Then I will come back in a little while to check on you.”

They turned their attention to their food, eating in silence until Rey was a quarter of the way through her sandwich. “I know that you still worry about me finding someone else, but I promise you, Ben, I will never do to you what Poe did with Jessika.”

“You can’t promise me that,” Ben breathed out.

“Yes, honey, I can.”

Ben took thirteen deep breaths. “I’d never do that to you either.”

Rey just smiled at him. “I know.”

As Rey turned her attention back to her food, Ben sat there with a thought that he’d never had before running through his mind. 

He wanted to marry Rey.

That thought didn’t terrify him nearly as much as he thought it should.

He needed a ring, but he definitely could no longer afford one. He needed a plan, but how do you propose without a ring? 

He had a lot to think about.


End file.
